New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. will make his spring training debut on Wednesday, though it will be in minor-league games, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed on Saturday.
The Mets have been taking a slow, cautious approach with the 28-year-old, whom they acquired from the Chicago White Sox this winter for Luisangel Acuna. His career has been derailed by a litany of leg and lower-body injuries, and the team has made it a priority to strengthen that problem area in hopes of putting together a full season for the first time since 2023.
A healthy Robert has proven to be a game-changer. In that 2023 season, he slugged 38 home runs to pair with an elite glove that momentarily put him in the conversation as one of the game’s top all-around center fielders.
“He’s getting a ton of at-bats,” Mendoza said. “I think he’s one of the guys who’s up to 50 at-bats already, live at-bats. But before we put him in the settings where he’s running the bases and playing defense, we’re going to start in the minor leagues.”
If Robert can recreate even a portion of his output from three years ago, it’s a significant win for the Mets. They have been in search of a legitimate center fielder for much of the last two seasons, though the need became especially dire after the Jose Siri and Cedric Mullins experiments failed in 2025.
